Epoch Indoor Racer - epoch1-43.com

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  #1  
Old 07-24-2005, 05:14 PM
arfin arfin is offline
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Default Epoch are in production!?

Well whats up with the epoch? In production, tell me more!
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  #2  
Old 07-24-2005, 05:48 PM
epoch1-43 epoch1-43 is offline
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Yes, they are in production!
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Old 07-24-2005, 07:11 PM
arch2b arch2b is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by epoch1-43
Yes, they are in production!
this seems to be THE largest misconception. nearly every other epoch section of any forum has or is reporting them as discontinued and i think we all know where most of that info is coming from i digress... thanks for making a clear statement in that regard. i hope in the future more details can be gleaned as to the production, retail and future of epochs and their relationship with epoch 1-43.
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Old 07-24-2005, 07:32 PM
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cdog4w cdog4w is offline
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OK, tiny and arch are *STILL* teasing us about their inside info.

1. So it seems they're making more spec-2's now, but what about a newer model?

2. How recent was the re-opening of production on spec-2's?

3. Will the re-opening mean better part access?

4. Will the re-opening have any affect on pricing? This is one of the bigger concerns of the group I think. The epoch is a superb car, but I feel priced too expensive for what it is.

5. Any chance of a rebuildable diff area? Stocking up on gearboxes is a poor solution to getting hair stuck in the diff area.

Last edited by cdog4w; 07-24-2005 at 07:39 PM.
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Old 07-24-2005, 08:05 PM
arch2b arch2b is offline
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i don't know much more than you do... epoch1-43 will tell you that. all i knew before you did was the developement of this forum and it being a retailer. the rest is as much a tease to me as it is to you
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  #6  
Old 07-26-2005, 03:08 AM
kylelucas kylelucas is offline
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Is there any real information on a next generation EPOCH? Spec3???
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Old 07-26-2005, 06:33 AM
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sg219 sg219 is offline
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Thumbs up

I'm going to quote LBRC's post on R7R and my reply. I think it fits into the whole sales/production discussion.

@LBRC...I hope you don't mind.

Quote:
Originally Posted by LBRC
It is nice to see a site selling the Epoch and parts. Just incase someone missed the obvious, there is a distributor with exclusive rights to the car in North American and he intends to sell Epochs, and this website by TinyRC is a new start. I hope he succeeds and will give any support I can. It is after all by my definition the only true out of the box "micro" RC race car available to date and so far our best shot at a true state of the art pocket sized rc race car, big enough to house state of the art electronics and a tunable suspension but small enough for a home track. Mini-Z’s, 1:28 scale, are great but how many people have enough space a truly competitive daily practice track (i.e. 3 RCP wide L’s) at home.

Quote:
I'm thinking nothing bigger than super slicks would be perfect.
Yes, that's it, small enough to practice/drive/race at home on your own track.

Speaking of a SS wouldn’t it have been great if the epoch was just a bit smaller so when the Super Slicks came out the bodies where interchangeable. When what you see is what you get what you get is board real fast no matter how good the car is to start with. It seemed to me that the Epoch's big stumbling block has always been a lack of exciting optional parts and upgrades. Sure there are a couple of tire compounds and springs sets for the Epoch but for the masses they’re boring, they want their favorite bodies and motors with bragging rights or at least something to look forward to. Vicious circle I guess without volume sales it’s hard to get the price down and with a high starting price it’s hard to get the sales especially when you try to sell a micro car at hobby shops specializing in larger scale RC cars, and without the sales you don't get the upgrade parts.

I’m babbling but my point is that the Epoch’s didn’t miss the boat they got off to a hot start then fell off the boat. The basic chassis design is still good if a little heavy. I’d just like to see someone generate enough sales and interest to justify a Spec-3; smaller, lighter, slightly different swapable motor design, easy to clean differential, and oh yea a digital crystal-less unlimited channel fully proportional w/break circuit board and radio. Sound unreasonable I don’t think so we have the technology. I simply want to combine the best of the slot and RC car hobbies, a hobby grade RC car small enough to drive on my own track in the privacy and comfort of home, then when I’m ready take it to the track to race and show off, without the hassles and limitations imposed by a limited number of frequencies. When I see Joe tearing up the track with his new Mach-99 motor I want to run to the counter with my sweaty little palms for that one performance part I need, pop it in, tune and practice on the B track while I wait for my turn to humiliate Joe and his #8 car on the A track. Or on the flip side I also want to show Mr. Big Bucks what he could do if he spent less time throwing money at his car and more time practicing.
My reply...

Quote:
Originally Posted by SG219
@ LBRC...

I couldn't agree more. I love the idea of being able to set up a room-sized track for a proportional car and having the freedom to drive agressively. Not worry about limitations of speed, size, and the amount of competition. (2 or more cars)

I have always had a slight intrest in the scale/Epoch, mostly by ownership of a good car, not the modibility of it. But when you throw modibility into the mix, it becomes more desirable to me and many other modders.

Then the upgrade/bolt-on side of the fence. The more bolt-on parts avalible, the more kids will enjoy and ask their parents to buy them one. Sell upgrades, just like Xmods.

I beleive that Epoch WILL need commercial sucess if it desires to become a household name. Like a Radio Shack product.

How many stores does RS have? A ton.

How many outlets do Epochs have? Less than Iwaver.


I'm not saying the comeback can't be done, I'm saying that it is a beginning.

From here on out, its all about the product. Nothing else. The forums, the members, the online store, the ideas, the past, the future....Nothing matters unless the overall product is easily avalible, reasonable, competitive (worth buying more), and sustained.

No one wants to buy a disco'ed RC, before the batteries die.

I'm all for seeing some true Epoch action.

I'd love to be able to have fun with a truely functionable 1:43rd scale car in the comfort of my own home, without worring about replacement parts and being competitive with others.

Not all of us have Bruce around to throw us off turbos.
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Old 07-26-2005, 09:11 AM
LBRC LBRC is offline
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sg219 don’t mind at all, think it’s great, I hadn’t seen this thread yet, dial-up on a lame-duck computer is slowing me down.

Kylelucas
I wouldn’t hold my breath for a Spec-3 until there are enough sales/interest world wide, to justify one. However there is a better than good chance that within a year we will see a few changes/surprises most likely in the body department first. It’s an uphill climb first you need the sales to support real changes.

I noticed there is a poll on NASCAR bodies now I personally am not a fan but I have friends and relatives that are. So let’s suppose that someone was able to bridge the horribly complicated licensing obstacle and come out with a good assortment of the more popular Hendrix Motor Sport, Ralphs Racing, and Pensky cars in AutoScale like Epoch body sets (detailed cars bodies with wheels in a display case) as long as the details where correct at a NASCAR race you could probably sell a great many body sets even to fans who don’t own an Epoch or any other RC car for that matter. The fans have a reputation for spending money and to them the fact that they could get a good RC chassis to go with their body set would just be gravy, and of course after they collected two or three bodies they’d just have to get that nifty RC car to go with them. Sound backwards and crazy? Well it is, but that’s how things tend to be. The point is that you have to find a way to sell more than just a few Epochs and it could work. The mistake would be to try to sell an RC car to NASCAR fans, sure there might be a few fans that also love micro RC cars but they would be the minority for success you have to target the widest possible client base, not limit yourself to a select few. Give the fans what they love, detailed car bodies that represent they’re favorite teams and drivers, and then give them something to love, a good micro RC car to go with it. But there are lots of mistakes that could be made and things that could go wrong. For instance even thought there are only three basic car bodies with very little actual difference a mistake in the decals could be fatal, and the body sets have to compete with die-cast aluminum bodies, the advantage is the RC component but for that to count to a NASCAR fan it would have to be clear that they aren’t just “toy” RC cars.

Long winded babbling again but cool body sets sold to an existing fan base could generate the interest and sales we need for someone to invest the time and money it would take to design and manufacture a good easy to clean differential that would in turn boost the hobby grade RC race car side of the sales equation.
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  #9  
Old 07-26-2005, 06:00 PM
epoch1-43 epoch1-43 is offline
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Awesome comments LBRC - would you mind re-posting in the NASCAR thread to stir discussion there? Thanks!
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  #10  
Old 07-26-2005, 08:47 PM
avant avant is offline
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I'm still wondering - even after reading the previous postings - if this is a "relaunch" of the Epoch Indoor Racers, because they disappeared from the manufacturer's page (http://www.rc-mtech.com) and I don't see any new parts or other shops which offer them.

I would really be happy (and a lot of Epoch-fans here in Germany, too - like microsash, who has developed the turbo, he's admin of the http://www.bit-racer.de forum) if mtech is still producing these excellent products (hopefully with some official dealers here in Europe), but I have my concerns, that just the stores are cleaned up.

Thanks for any clarification,

Jo - just curious

EDIT: we had some races here in Germany and what's missing are different tuning motors, gears etc.

Last edited by avant; 07-26-2005 at 09:12 PM.
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